Bishops condemn blasts in Shia processions

Bishops in Pakistan have condemned the bomb attacks in Lahore and Karachi in which 15 people died and more than 50 were injured.

Bishop Max Rodrigues of Hyderabad called for reformation of the education system in the country.

âThe tragedy is the result of divisive and repulsive thinking. Our country has detracted from the purpose of its creation. Things will get worse in the absence of a positive thought for unification,â he said.

Auxiliary Bishop Sebastian Shah of Lahore termed the violence as a conspiracy to disrupt peace. âPeople are now afraid to attend big gatherings like marriages and religious events. The bombings are also an alarm for us,â he said.

The Church has for a long time argued for a âbalanced curriculum,â saying the present school courses encourage extremism.

Two separate suicide bombs exploded yesterday while members of the Shia community held a procession marking the end of 40 days’ mourning for Prophet Imam Hussain. The bombing in Lahore occurred as the Sunni Muslims flocked to the sufi Data Darbar shrine, situated near a Shia shrine, for the annual gathering. The banned âMovement of Talibanâ has accepted the responsibility of the bombings.

Yasir Bokhari, a Shia Muslim in Lahore, says God saved him from the incident. âI was at Karbala Gamy Shah shrine the same morning. People described a teenage boy running towards the police and later detonating himself,â he said adding the same shrine was bombed last Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.